Twenty-ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2024 Franciscan Gospel Reflection

Sister JulieAnn Sheahan

October 17, 2024

Franciscan Friar Fr. Paul Gallagher reflects on the Gospel readings for the Twenty-ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time. When have you felt pleased or grateful for the person that you are?

The content is edited by Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Anne Marie Lom and Joe Thiel. The excerpts from the Sunday readings are prepared by Joe Thiel. To read or download the complete pdf with excerpts for your prayer, please click here Franciscan Gospel Reflection October 20 2024. Excerpts are from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Photo:Naturpuur, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Mark 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Background:

Last week’s Gospel ends with Jesus reassuring Peter and the disciples that “there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.” (Mark 10:30) Mark then describes Jesus addressing the disciples for a third time about the events that await him in Jerusalem. “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise.” (Mark 10:33-34) This is Jesus’ clearest statement yet of his impending passion, death and resurrection. The contrast between what Jesus foresees as his immediate future and what James and John seem to anticipate by their request draws more attention to Jesus’ prediction. 

Mark often portrays the disciples as facing the same issues that his community is facing. By placing the request of James and John here, Mark is demonstrating to his community the true nature of discipleship. 

In the text, James and John ask Jesus for positions that would signify authority within the realm of power and glory, like the Romans that are their oppressors.  The other disciples seem to be upset with what James and John have done. But the text does not say whether this is because they too were similarly hoping for positions of honor, or because they are embarrassed for them. James and John have requested what the others, themselves included, were hoping Jesus might bestow on them.

Jesus asks them if they are ready to accept both the baptism and the cup that he will drink. He is drawing on familiar experiences of gatherings. The patriarch of the family poured each person’s cup. Those attending the meal were expected to accept without question whatever was given to them. The psalms also speak of a cup as one of inheritance or destiny. “The Lord is my portion and cup.” (Psalm 16:5) Mark is reminding his community that they, too, have been baptized into the life of Christ, and they are receiving from the cup at their weekly celebration of the Lord’s Supper. They, like the disciples, are Jesus’ disciples, and their discipleship is not like that of their Roman oppressors. Jesus accepts the cup that has been poured out for him by his Father. They too must accept in faith what God prepared for each of them.

 Reflection Questions:

  1. When have you felt pleased or grateful for the person that you are?
  2. Have there been times this week when you also felt discouraged by the person that you are?
  3. Pope Francis has said that shepherds should smell like sheep. What is the benefit of smelling like sheep?
  4. What are some of the feelings that arise within you when you hear this?
  5. Read today’s Gospel and think of Jesus still sitting among those same disciples as James and John approach him. What are some of the things Jesus thinks as he hears their request? What do you hear in his response?
  6. Jesus asks James and John if they can drink the cup that he will drink. If Jesus asked that same question of you, what would you respond?
  7. Can you talk to God about what you think God might desire for you, or some other awareness that arose when you read this Gospel?

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